Official Information
Official site: https://catacombepriscilla.com/en/home-en/
Online tickets: https://catacombepriscilla.com/en/informazioni-en/
Address: Via Salaria 430, 00199 Roma RM, Italy
Map: View on Google Maps
Opening Hours
Opening hours for the Catacombs of Priscilla can vary by season. The official site directs visitors to consult the information and booking pages for current timetables, but in general guided visits operate on set days and time slots, with advance reservation strongly recommended. Before planning, check the “Information” and “Booking” sections for the latest schedule.
The Catacombs of Priscilla run beneath a section of Via Salaria and are among the most important early Christian cemeteries in Rome, especially known for their wall paintings. Access is only possible on guided tours organised by the custodians, which keeps numbers controlled and helps protect the fragile frescoes. After entering through a small surface complex with ticket office and waiting area, visitors descend into a maze of narrow galleries cut into the soft tufa. Along the way, the guide points out loculi and small chambers whose closing slabs once bore Christian symbols such as the fish, anchor and Good Shepherd. Priscilla is particularly famous for painted cubicula including scenes interpreted as some of the earliest surviving images of the Virgin Mary and Christ Child, Old Testament stories such as the sacrifice of Isaac, and depictions of women in roles of prayer and prophecy. These paintings give insight into how early Christians reworked classical imagery to express their faith. The official website emphasises that visits are by guided tour only, in several languages, with modest dress required and photography usually restricted, especially with flash. It also explains how to reach the catacombs by public transport and provides contact details for group bookings. Because the catacombs extend over several levels and the air is cool and damp, visitors are advised to wear comfortable shoes and a light jacket even in summer. For travellers interested in Christian art and the everyday realities of burial and memory in late antiquity, the Catacombs of Priscilla offer an evocative, relatively uncrowded alternative to some of the more heavily touristed catacomb sites.